Dear Blog (and possible blog readers),

I know that I have been neglecting you lately. The truth is, this past year has been rather rough for me. After I returned from Paris, I looked for a waitressing or bartending job, but was unsuccessful in spite of 12 years of experience. I also tried to find clients for the personal chef business I was hoping would take off. There, too, I was unsuccessful. I was thus forced to take a cooking job. Why was a cooking job my last resort, you may ask. Don’t you like cooking? Well, blog, you’ve obviously forgotten about this post, in which I declare the restaurant industry in Montreal unsustainable.

Anyway…though the job I have allows me to cover my basic expenses, I pay almost half of my net salary in rent (not including hydro, or anything else) This leaves me in a very precarious situation financially. If I have unexpected or occasional expenses, there is no room in my budget for them. There is also no room in my budget for going out to eat once in a while, etc. On top of this my job is dull, unrewarding, and provides no opportunities to interact with anyone except the other cooks with whom I never really seem to have much in common.

This unlife has left me with a bad taste in my mouth, and I became disillusioned with…well, pretty much everything including writing in you, dear blog. This experience has also left me ever more bitter and jaded about the restaurant industry. I’ve pretty much stopped reading the restaurant reviews and such, because…hey, it’s not like I can afford to eat out, or anything.

I went into cooking in hopes of opening up my own restaurant one day. However, since that goal is not currently within my grasp, and since I’ve always wanted to see more of the world, I’ve decided to dust off my Bachelor’s of English Literature and go teach English as a second language in South Korea. The abundant opportunities for new culinary experiences (and new experiences in general) will hopefully renew my zest for life (and food, and cooking). Also, the fact that I’ll be paid a decent wage and will actually be able to start saving money again should take a load off of my shoulders.

I’m not sure if I should start a new blog, or continue on with this one…but there are changes ahead, blog, that much is certain.